Like a Twisted Fairytale
by IV Red
Summary: New fighters are needed in the new SSB tournament, but who to pick? Your OCs, of course! They'll live the dream, the fairytale, right? The insane, twsited fairytale. INSCRIPTIONS OPEN AGAIN! SEE AUTHOR'S NOTE IN THE NEW CHAPTER!
1. New smashers needed

**Yep, I'm back! And this time, for the goddess' sake, I'm going to reach those damn 100 reviews. I'll put all my 'mad skillz' on this! **

**Okay... uh, read on. This is the introduction. It's quite short, but you can still go ahead and amuse yourself with it. ****Oh yeah, I forgot to mention this doesn't have a real plot yet... maybe later. If you know me, you should know I have this problem with screwing up the first chapters!**

**Disclaimer: The idea for this was created by Slam422, but stolen and modificated by me. Um, stolen might not be the correct word, since I actually got his permission... whatever.**

_**Like a Twisted Fairytale.**_

_Chapter One: New smashers needed._

"No, no, no!"

Zelda shivered at the yells that came from Master Hand's office. "Anyone, enter and see what happens!"

"Well, you majesty," Falco replied mocking. "Why don't _you_ go?"

Such yells had startled the smashers ten minutes ago, waking up all of them. They had congregated around the door, but none had dared to enter, scared by a breaking sound and the constant booming of the voice. Still in their pyjamas, everyone eyed each other nervously, discussing who would go. Zelda seemed to consider Falco's words, but shook her head as a loud curse was heard from inside. "I'm not going in there! Ness, you go."

"I appreciate my life. Marth, go."

"No, thanks... Pikachu goes."

"Pi, pika pi, chu!" The yellow pokémon shook its head frantically, and pointed to Fox.

"No way. Peach, you go."

"I don't want to die! Falcon should go."

"I pass. Popo, go."

"Why me? Mr.Game and Watch is the older one; he should go."

"Wha-?"

"Ah, stop this! I'll go."

Everyone turned to face Link, who yawned and stepped forward. Nobody replied to his decision, for they knew one important thing about the hero: he was always in a bad mood in the mornings. Arguing with him in the moment wasn't a good idea, for sure.

He knocked on the door, not caring to moderate his strength. "Master Hand?"

The door burst open, causing some of the smashers to gasp. The blonde hero entered, sweating a bit, while the morning bad mood disappeared to be replaced by fear. "I-Is something wrong, Master Hand?"

In one swift movement, the gloved hand towered over him. "Something wrong!" It repeated, and then threw the newspaper at Link's face. "See for yourself!"

The hylian frowned and began looking for what could be so important in the news. _How does a hand read anyway? ...A body-less hand talking, floating and living is weird enough_! Those thoughts were interrupted as he turned a page. "There." The hand said, voice lower.

"Hmm?" He finally found the correct article. 'Smash Brothers tournament finished.' In fact, a tournament had just ended a month ago, which Ganondorf won.

Link looked over his shoulder, noticing everyone outside the open door, and read aloud. "Let's see...fourth tournament ended, blah... popularity skyrocketed with the addition of new fighters on the third one, blah blah blah...fans expecting to see more new faces on the next tournament?" He looked up. "Are you adding new people?"

"Keep reading." Master Hand commanded.

"Okay. Fans expecting to see new faces on the next one... as the popularity suffered a great decrease. Various interviewed fanatics have stated: 'Without new fighters, the Smash Brothers might lose their charm this year.' A recent poll reveals...thirty-five percent of Nintendo city's population feels excited about the upcoming event, while fifty percent assure they probably won't be interested if no new fighters are added to the competition. The remaining fifteen percent are unsure."

"Oh... that's not good..."

"Thanks for your remark Kirby, but... I already know!"

Everyone exchanged looks upon hearing their boss' outburst, until Samus decided to break through the uneasy silence. "So, who are you throwing in?"

"That's the problem. There's nobody left as famous as all of you."

Feeling rather important, and taking the last phrase as some sort of compliment, Roy came up with an idea. He walked forward, seeming proud. "There _are _fighters, but not very known of... what if we bring them anyway, and _make _them famous with the tournament?"

Luckily, Master Hand calmed down, agreeing. "That sounds good, and it would give the Smash Brothers a new sense. Now, who to pick?"

"Ah, let's just spread the news about open spots for fighters. I'm sure many will come!" Zelda said.

If possible, the hand would have nodded. "Well then. Everyone, you have three days to go home, contact whatever form of authority you find, and let the news spread. Or make the announcement right away, considering some of you_ are _the authority. Link, you go to Sega city, and Capcom city if possible."

"Let's go!" Mario said, already walking, and everyone followed him as the leader.

Maybe they were just sleepy, or Master Hand actually was the only one paying attention to the situation, because his remark caught them off guard. "Fine, just... not in pyjamas."

**If Link saved Hyrule and Termina in a tunic that resembled a skirt, why can't they go in pyjamas? Stupid hand. Not like it's got a brain anyway. **

**Now, for the only important part of my rambling, how to get included: **

**Review, e-mail or pm me with a description of your character. I would prefer e-mails or pms, because I don't want to get reviews for a reason that isn't my writing. Anyway, include all the obvious (name, race, background info, personality, enemies, allies, etc.) but don't forget to mention where the person or creature-thingy comes from. **

**Do not, I repeat, DO NOT worry about overdoing it. Write 10000 words if you want. The more you put about the character, the better for me. I mean it. If possible, add how he/she/it would act towards the rest (example: hates little kids, might get along well with the villains, etc). I'm serious about this... OVERDO IT ALL YOU CAN! YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO! **

**THREE THINGS THAT MUST BE ADDED (if you don't, your character won't be in this): **

**Occupation: Maybe your character isn't exactly a good fighter. Well, with more people here, we'll need some maids and medics. You can't deny that the idea of healing some bishie's wounds sounds tempting... err, I mean, sounds tempting to you. Not me! **

**Flaws: Can't jump high so save his life, sings like an old cat... whatever; just to know your character isn't a Mary-Sue or Gary-Stu. Remember that everyone has flaws, and not even a fictional character can be perfect. **

**Techniques (if your char is a fighter): Self-explanatory, if your character is in the mansion to fight, he/she/it must have some techniques! I need the normal style of fighting (like the A button attacks), and the special attacks (B or B+Whatever). **

**About how the tournament works, I will explain the next chapter. First I have to know if someone is interested in becoming part of it. See you later!**


	2. Not there yet, newbies

**Wow, so many reviews! I tried to write this as soon as possible, but the OCs didn't stop coming. I'd like to hand a cookie to Royal Kenya for being the one who wrote the most about her character. Poison included, since she apologized about it. Also, I'm glad to see ptpeach here! A yay for that reviewer/friend/thing/Sheik of mine! **

**I said it before. For some reason, I love reading about people's OCs, so if anyone wants to add something, you can pm me anytime. Also, I apologize again for the long time I took. Organizing this wasn't easy, and I've been pretty busy lately. **

**Disclaimer: ****All smashers are owned by Nintendo. Not even the OCs are mine, but they are used with the permission of their respective creators.**

**AS A REWARD FOR WAITING SO LONG... A 5000-WORDS CHAPTER!**

**_Like a Twisted Fairytale._**

_Chapter two: Not there yet, newbies._

The two days went by, and the smashers returned. The days after that were filled with anxiousness for them, while rumours were heard, and the whole city was talking about their search for new fighters. When the fourth day of waiting came, they were sitting on the living room, expecting to hear the sound of a bus anytime, or whatever sound would signal any extravagant vehicle.

Bowser growled impatiently, Roy walked around the room in circles, Young Link looked like he would fall asleep on the couch, Mario and Luigi were engaged in a thumb war, and the rest were in a state of pretended relax.

"How many do you think will come?" Asked Nana, who had been just looking around and biting her bottom lip.

"I'm guessing ten." Answered Link.

And in an attempt to ease tension, Captain Falcon decided to keep the topic. "Thirteen. Punch me in the face if they're not." He grinned, as everyone looked at him.

Samus didn't throw away the chance. "I say seventeen."

"If they're not, you take a no-suit week, deal?"

"Fine."

Roy stopped on his tracks. "Don't let me out! I say eleven. Bet a kick in the nuts."

Peach smirked, "I'm in!" she got some strange looks from everyone, while they wondered why the princess would do such thing. "Sixteen."

"Only if the winner takes your crown." Added Falcon.

Peach nodded. The four shook hands, the pyro smiling widely, and knowing how the Mushroom Princess loved her crown: so much, that she was never seen without it. By then, all the smashers had left nervousness behind, commenting among each other about the bet.

"Ten," Falco spoke. "is the minimum we should expect. Otherwise... we're pretty much screwed."

Meanwhile...

Green eyes gazed out of the window yet again, as a strand of orange-red hair fell in front of them. The seventeen years old girl wore a blue, oriental-style outfit. She turned to face the others, slightly frowning. "I could swear that bird has been following us." The comment had come completely out of the blue, mainly to break the silence in the bus. One row of seats was at each side. They were few, thus everyone had an empty seat besides him or her.

"That might be good." Answered a blonde haired girl, who was sitting on the right row. The one who had spoken first was in the left row.

"Why?"

"Because that proves I'm not going paranoid."

The red-haired one sighed, absent-mindedly running her hand across the sheath of her sword. She turned to the blonde with an eyebrow raised.

Whatever words she planed on saying stayed on her throat, while she saw the cat-like ears on top of the girl's head. Her features revealed her to be 17 years old, but the ears, tail and whiskers caught all the attention. She was wearing a simple white shirt and purple pants.

"Um..." The sword user tried to find anything to say, and decided it was about time everyone got to know each other. "My name's Layla, what's yours?"

"Lilly Brooks. From Goldenrod City." And Layla found herself surprised again as she shook her new friend's clawed hand. First impression didn't give her much, but it was a start.

Out of the bus, the hawk that had been flying around gave a short look to the people inside. It flew closer to the window, where a young woman, around the age of twenty, looked back at it with a smile. Another female took seat beside her, in an attempt to strike up conversation. At first, she just watched, taking note of her appearance. Sleek, short hair. She could see only the left side of her head. Brown hair, green eye... she tried to fit everything into the little forgetful mind of hers.

"Hello," She started, already prepared for a handshake. "The name's Din. Yours?" She gave her best smile, but the eternally sharp look on her grey eyes didn't let it look as friendly as she wanted. Straight brown hair reached Din's shoulders, her slim body hidden under black cargo pants, and a light purple shirt that seemed a bit too long for her. Her hair couldn't hide the long ears of a hylian.

The other one turned, revealing the exchanged colours of her hair and eye on the right side of her head. On the left it was brown hair and green eye; on the right green hair and brown eye. "Presea." They shook hands, smiling. A rather competitive spirit rising in both.

Din eyed the feathers stitched on the shoulder areas on Presea's light green shirt, her mind labelling the fellow fighter. Long brown skirt, purple belt. A crown of feathers. Something making a well-hidden bunch under the brown, loose jacket. The mental label? Interesting. And seeing a single feather fall from under the jacket, Din proceeded to catch it craftily: a hawk feather. Interesting, indeed.

"Anyone nervous about the tournament?"

The voice definitely belonged to a young girl. Her own voice revealed her little bit of nervousness, as everyone's gazes fell on her. This one also had cat-like ears, mahogany-coloured, just as her long hair and the tail that moved behind her.

"A bit, I guess." Din accepted.

"No." Said Layla sincerely.

"No." Was also Lilly's answer. "For now, at least."

"Me neither." Said Presea. "And you...?"

"Akiha." Completed the girl, with a cheerful smile, and her ears slightly moving. "Meh... I'm pretty nervous."

"What? Nobody excited?"

Five pairs of eyes were directed towards the source of the voice: a yellow yoshi, looking far more confident than most of them.

"Sure. About getting some autographs, that is." Presea commented. This caused the yoshi to giggle quietly to himself, for reasons she wouldn't know, even if she had noticed.

"Heh, we'll see the smashers… and I'm not dreaming." Layla smirked, pleased. "Have loads of questions for them, but first… your name?" Her green gaze, which had been directed towards the ceiling in a dreamy manner, turned to the yoshi.

"Felix." He answered, just then realizing he had forgotten to say that.

Din sighed and lay back on her seat lazily. "Also have loads of questions. First one:" She pulled herself up, went over to Akiha, and pulled her cat-like ears a bit. "What's up with these? Are they real?" She also pulled Lilly's, but upon contact they moved.

"Real." Both Akiha and Lilly said in unison, slightly ticked off by Din's behaviour.

The brown-haired hylian grinned, amused.

That was when the second male voice was heard. A young man with black hair, with some crimson streaks, green eyes, and a slightly tanned skin rose from the first seat in front. "Hers look like a Meowth's, though." He commented, pointing to Lilly.

"Long story." She said, her voice boldly attempting to change the subject, and eyes shining in tries to get the attention away from her ears. "Really, long story."

"Okay…" His face didn't quite show what he thought. Unreadable. He shifted position a bit, facing everyone. "Minamoto. Shadow Minamoto," He introduced himself. "Pleased to meet you."

The rest proceeded to introduce themselves to him as well.

"Akiha."

"Presea."

"Layla."

"Din."

"Felix."

"Lilly."

"Chris."

"Eh?"

"Chris Avon, sir."

"Yeah, I heard but…" Felix sighed, unsure of what to say next. Anyway, he gave up. The eleven-year old, strawberry blond-haired girl, now known as Chris, was dressed in a teal dress-like outfit with black shorts under it (for more comfortable movement). She smiled calmly, her bluey green eyes flickering with enthusiasm. Anticipation, some could tell, but by knowledge of their destination or childish, immature reasoning? None would know yet, but this one surely wasn't nervous.

The bus rocked a bit, making them slid to their lefts. "Sorry!" That phrase was heard coming from the driver's cabin on the front.

"Okay..." Layla said, blinking twice in a puzzled way. "Anyway, I was given these instructions when I came to the bus." She got a sheet of paper out of her pocket, showing it to everyone. All the rest looked at it interested, acknowledging they hadn't received it.

"Let me see..." Presea snatched it from Layla's hands, and read aloud. "Welcome to the new Smash Brothers tournaments. As you know, many fighters from different places had been given the chance to participate this season, but they must follow this protocol: Upon arrival, please proceed to the meeting room, for a short revision. Once you are registered, you will be assigned to a room. Further instructions will be given later."

"So," Layla began. Then the bus moved forcefully again. She grumbled, and continued as soon as she regained her composure. "We won't get the chance to see the others on the first day?"

"So it seems." said Din.

Akiha sighed, "Right when I was getting more excited."

"Ah, well..." Shadow put his hands on his pockets. "We'll see them tomorrow. Or at dinner, hopefully."

At that point, and in their situation, the following silence wasn't meant to last long. Bad luck, it may be, or just a certain person's curiosity.

"Ouch! GET OFF!" Coming from near the back, the female voice was deranged and somewhat painful. Everyone at the front flinched, as a red fox, most likely a Cornerian judging by the human-animal combination, walked over to them carrying Chris. Behind her were four more people.

"Is this yours?" She asked the group.

They doubted for some seconds, then nodded slowly. The female fox threw the little girl at them. She landed comfortably, to her at least, on top of Lilly. "I'm sorry!" Apologized the young fighter, while being pushed off by a breathless Lilly, gasping for air.

"What did she do?"

"Pulled my tail!" said the cornerian, moving her white-tipped tail of front and rubbing it. "Ow..."

"Hit me in the head!" The one who spoke was a dark-haired boy, slightly muscular, and with a very irritated face. At his words, Chris whispered on Lilly's ear, pointing: "I didn't! Just dropped my staff and it fell on Mister Hy!"

"She wanted to steal something from my backpack!" This one was a girl with black hair down to her waist and purple eyes, looking around the age of seventeen. She was dressed in a lavender top and black sweats, with two purple stripes coming down from the side, plus fingerless black gloves and a black and purple jacket to complete her outfit.

"I just wanted to see her flute... Mallie's exaggerating."

"Stole my staff!" continued a boy with brown hair, and 'usual' mage robes (considering the lack of such people on these days). "Not true. I just got confused and thought Mac's staff was mine!" was Chris' whispered reply. From the boy's face one could tell the result wasn't pretty...

"And almost knocked me out with it!" said the last victim of Chris' mischievous behaviour: a girl with strange, koopa-resembling features. For a start, her body was human enough, dressed in blue jeans and a red shirt with a neat design of black roses, but there were claws in her hands (and possibly on her feet if they weren't covered by shoes). Her hair was pretty much like the famous koopa king's: fiery red, only darker and longer. She had green eyes and a shell of the same colour on her back, with the usual spikes.

"Um... Miss Shira's was an accident..." The little girl responsible of all of that trembled at the sight of the pissed off people, and mostly at Shira's (the, apparently, human-koopa hybrid) quite menacing appearance.

Everybody stared for a while, trying to understand how the walking disaster (or master prankster, maybe) had survived to the age of eleven. Lilly's eye twitched involuntarily. "Forgive her, I promise she won't do it again!" The blonde meowth-eared girl looked at the younger one."...Right Chris?" She nodded vigorously.

The cornerian sighed. "It's okay, I guess. As long as this doesn't repeat." She extended her hand to Chris in a sign of peace. "Yara Venrea."

She smiled with relief and shook it, again, blurting out more apologizes. "I'm sorry for pulling your tail; it won't happen again, Miss Yara." In return, Yara waved her hand in front of her face, shrugging off the matter and labelling it as an 'already-in-the-past'.

"Oh, well..." Shira also took a step forward, and put a friendly, although clawed hand, in the little girl's shoulder. In the process she exposed a spiked koopa tail.

The remaining two, Mallie and Mac, exchanged doubting looks, and both shrugged. "I guess it doesn't matter now." The boy in mage robes sighed absentmindedly, and returned the correct staff, her own, to Chris.

The girl gave a puppy-eyed, silent plea to Mallie, making her heave a sigh. "Aww... I wouldn't get mad at you!" She patted her head affectionately. Then, she took a distracted look to the window, to find the ominous though still distant Smash Mansion, as a shadowy figure cut against the sunset.

"Hey, look. It's the mans-!"

Mallie was cut short as, once again, the bus shook, but this time very violently, sending everyone to the row of seats on the left.

"Now, this is getting annoying..."Akiha complained.

And it became even worse, as a screeching sound thundered in everyone's ears, while the bus tried to come to a stop. Yet, it wasn't possible, and the driver made a violent turn to the right, in what seemed to be an attempt to dodge something. Bad luck, maybe... the bus fell on its side.

Deathly silence. Smoke. The Smash Brothers newbies didn't move for some time.

Finally, one by one, they limped from under the machine.

"Damn!" Din, after pulling herself out rather painfully, examined the wound on her left leg. Fairly big, not too deep, but hurting like hell. "Nobody here is a medic?" She looked around the rest; Felix, Mac and Akiha were just coming out, Layla was shouting like mad (though, no one could understand a thing... sounded like French cursing) while a slightly disturbed Chris stared and edged away to hide behind Shira. Lilly seemed to be the only one besides Din who had gotten hurt, as Mallie was bandaging her hand. Shadow rubbed he back of his head with a somewhat confused face, while Presea, Hy and Yara were already out and looking around for the driver (or in the worst case, what was left of him). She cursed again, though I believe I shouldn't write down her words.

"I'm not exactly a medic, but I could help out."

"Anything will do. Thanks."

The teen bent down, and began searching through his backpack's many pockets, until finding some bandages and alcohol. Behind a pair of glasses, bright green eyes were fixed in a concentrated stare, interrupted by the usual strand of the semi-long brown hair that fell in front. As for clothing, he wore light brown shorts, and a white, short-sleeved shirt with the word 'smash' in black letters.

Din ignored the sting of the alcohol applied, and cursed again under her breath. "Okay, this won't stop you from fighting, so don't worry about that. Just keep the bandage for tonight." He said upon finishing.

"Thanks." She said again, running her hand through the bandage, finding it quite hardened, at least enough for writing into it. She took a pen out of her pocket, where she had her little autograph book. "Do you mind?" She handed him the pen and motioned the bandage.

He grinned, "Someday, this will cost a million rupees." then signed in rather neat writing 'Jimbo'. After that, Jimbo strolled away in search of someone else to help, and Din joined the small group that tried to calm Layla.

In the meantime, only one person had gotten out of the confusion, to wonder what had hit the bus: Mac. There was a clear trail of smoke, and a path of destroyed trees, going almost to the limit of the mansion's grounds. They had crashed not too far away, but still, it would take them several hours to reach their destination walking. So, if some sort of vehicle had intercepted them, it'd be quite useful to find it. After all, at least one of them should be able to fix minor damages. Mac just hoped it was a vehicle, and that the damages were minimal...

He was about to take the first step forwards when he heard Presea calling him. "Hey Mac, a little help here?"

He went to where she was, struggling to move one of the heavy metal doors of the bus that apparently had fallen into someone. Only an arm was visible, from which they would notice the tanned skin of the person. Presea had lost her jacket, and now a pair of clearly real hawk wings were seen, coming out of her back. He flinched; her eyes insisted. Both took hold of the arm, and pulled.

"Ouch!" The sound was muffled, but discomfort was obvious.

"At least this person is alive." Mac smiled, not all the relieved or happy he would have wanted.

Presea laughed nervously, as some muffled phrase came again."...sort of..."

They pulled again, and the upper body of a girl came from under the metal piece. She coughed, rubbed the back of her head, and put her black hair behind her ear. With a little help, and a little curses here and there, she managed to free her legs and stand up, still trying to get her hair in place. Unluckily, the bangs on the sides were messed beyond hope, and kept getting in the way of her emerald gaze.

A short green dress, white leggings, brown shoes, and matching fingerless gloves; none damaged. "Ow, my head... but it looks like all's in place." She adjusted her belt, making sure no pockets had lost their content.

"You... you're fine?" Presea was incredulous.

"Yep."

She eyed the name 'Arianna' on her belt, as a neat work of embroidery. "Arianna... a metal door fell flat on your head and you're fine?"

"Pretty much."

For around a minute, Presea just stared, barely stopping her eye from twitching. "...I don't get it..." Then, she just rejoined the search for the driver or any other person.

"So... I take it you cause that effect on people quite a lot?" Mac got around to break silence.

"Pretty much."

Before any more words would be said, a voice called. "Hey guys." It was Hy. He had a serious look on his face, and a sharp gaze; concentrating.

"What is it?" Mac approached him.

"Don't you hear?"

There was a sound coming from the fallen bus. Not an engine sound, but one of metal hitting metal. Arianna neared the machine with curiosity, the other two close behind.

Bam! Something made a hole in the metallic surface. What it was, none of them could tell, due to the smoke that began rising. As it dissipated, a silhouette came to view: a fist. Upon second view, and with less smoke, it looked like a strangely-shaped piece, metallic as well. It dove inside the machine, only to come out again, enlarging the hole. The same was repeated some more times, as the three teens stayed there, unmoving, waiting. Finally, when the opening was wide enough, another young man came out. He coughed once, and kept coughing as he made is way out of the mess. Once out, his features became clear: black hair and black eyes, and it resulted that what they had seen was both a common arm and a metal limb, except for the common part. He kept coughing as he approached the other two; his robotic arm moved as naturally as anyone's extremity. Finally, he seemed to regain his breath.

"What a mess..." His voice was quite gruff.

"Are you okay? Did you get hurt?" Arianna rushed to his side.

He stretched. "I'm fine, I'm fine."

Before even noticing, Hy had approached with a rather strange expression on his face. Something among the lines of mild interest, with a rather obsessive glitter on the eyes. "Not only fine... you're... you're amazing!" He took hold of the robotic limb, examining and moving it. "This stuff is awesome... a fine piece of art... I wish I could have one..."

The boy rolled his eyes. "Matthew Weddell, pleased to met you too." He said sarcastically. "And no, sir, you don't have permission to play with my body parts. Thanks for being so nice and asking before doing so."

"Oops... sorry." Hy released, smiling apologetically.

"It's okay... just don't do it again."

Arianna cut in. "Enough talking, I want to know what hit the bus." She then turned to everyone else. "We'll go see what hit the bus, anyone else coming?"

"Me." Mallie raised her hand, and ran over to them.

"Me too." Shira followed the girl.

"Me three." Said Felix, catching up to the growing group.

"And me." Jimbo joined.

Matt looked at the damaged vehicle, then back at his fellow future-smashers. "I'll stay here and try to do something about the bus. It might still work, in case we have no other option." He said.

The small group, with Mac in the lead, then walked in the smoky trail. The path was long enough to have a light difference as they advanced more into the forest-like area. The first five minutes of walking were silent, but, as demonstrated before, it just _had _to be interrupted.

"I'm bored... looks like we won't find anything..."

Shira sighed. "Whatever hit us just has to be here, Mallie."

"Heh, I know."

"So why the whining?"

"Just had to say something. You know we can't have peace for more than five minutes."

Jimbo knew, or at least suspected what she would say. "Or else...?" He questioned. Arianna gave him desperate looks, pleading him not to encourage the girl, but it was too late.

Mallie smiled, and was joined by Hy and Mac, as the three said in unison: "Or the balance of the universe will be shattered, for we would have broken one of its rules."

Felix stared, with an eyebrow raised. Or its yoshi equivalent. Either way, he agreed with the crazy theory. "And we all will die horrible deaths." He added.

Arianna closed her eyes and ran a hand through her hair irritably. "Please don't encourage their little insane minds any more..."

"Fine. Let's have thirty seconds of silence. Bet something bad happens." Replied the yoshi, directing his words to everyone.

Everyone nodded, though not all very confident, and silence claimed place among them once again. Ten seconds, and they went normally, each one counting mentally. Fifteen seconds, and the ones who believed the theory began taking shorter steps. Twenty seconds, and glances were exchanged all around, as smoke became more, indicating it was near; whatever they were looking for. Twenty-five seconds, and some held their breath. Finally, thirty seconds, and-

"Bloody hell!"

"Look at that!"

"How in Hyrule...?"

"It's burning!"

"Cool!"

"It's impossible..."

"Ownage theory!"

Such words were spoken at the same time, so none was heard clearly. Ignoring that, and Felix's little victory dance, they neared what seemed to have been a vehicle, only much more damaged than their bus, and burning to the point were it wasn't possible to see what it was. Some sort of mix between a giant beetle, a spaceship, and a minivan. Close to it stood a man, on his early thirties, or perhaps his older twenties. The unshaven man had black hair, and all his body was covered in some sort of exoesquleton; similar the smasher Samus' power suit, except in black and grey. He held an helmet, a small cage, and several bags.

"So that's what hit us..." said Mallie, making the other man turn around, noticing their presence.

"You were the ones in that bus?"

"Yes," Answered Hy. "You just interrupted our way to the Smash Mansion." He said rather proudly.

The man chuckled, now looking more calm; relaxed. "So you're my new companions. I'm also heading there, only that I... kind of lost the bus... and my ship ran out of fuel..." He chuckled again, at his own misfortune.

"...That's a ship?" Arianna wondered aloud.

"Yes, it _was. _Anyway," The man got closer to the group. "The name's Isaac. Mind taking me to the mansion? I think you already noticed; my ship won't move."

They looked at each other.

"The bus is okay... right?"

"Well..." Jimbo began.

After describing all the damage (which certainly wasn't a short tale), they made their way back. On the walk, the group tried to find a solution; though, it definitely wasn't walking, they needed a faster way. None came to their minds, so they just settled with trying to fix the bus. Or so they hoped. It seemed that for once luck was on their side, as a surely pleasant view awaited their arrival. Yes, the bus had some holes here and there, and almost all windows broken. It looked like it would cough up some last kilometers and die, but it was back on the correct position.

"Wow... how did you guys do that?" Mac asked, staring with a mix of awe and incredulous curiosity.

Yara went over to him. "That dude with the robotic arm, Matt or whatever his name was, lifted the whole thing and put it right. We have to fix some minor things, but in less than thirty minutes we'll be back on our way." She said, waving her fox tail rather enthusiastically.

"Aww, I missed the cool part..." Hy said, kicking a small rock and making it roll away.

"Any of you knows how to handle mechanics?" Yara asked. All of them shook their heads, and she walked away to check on the progress.

"This is not good..." Was all Chris managed to say, staring at the unconscious, recently found driver.

Shadow shook his head. "Even if he woke up now, he wouldn't be able to drive. One of us will have to."

As if on cue, the driver, a young man given away as hylian for his long ears, began to mumble and grimace. "W-what happened...?" He couldn't say more. He wasn't seriously wounded, but he was clutching his stomach with a pained expression. Although red, his shirt, vest and pants hadn't been tainted by a drop of blood, nor had the brown boots and black gloves. "I-I have to get to..."

"I know; the Smash Mansion. We'll get there, one way or another." Shadow was quite surprised at the seriousness with which he was taking his duty.

"No. I h-have to see-"

"Don't talk! We'll be there soon." Chris tried to sound calming, but it came out more like a scold.

Giving up with whatever he had to say, the hylian closed his eyes and fell into dreamland.

"Okay, we're done!" Lilly announced, as she and Matt came from each side of the vehicle, not without a few oily stains. Everyone turned their attention to them.

"It's not fully repaired, but it will manage for a few hours will we get there." Matt said.

Some sighed happily, and some already rushed inside, but one voice broke their calm moment: Din's. "...I want to drive." With that, hell broke loose again.

**If anyone wishes to bitch about how long I took, please go ahead and do so. I deserve it. Though, I promise I won't let it happen again.**

**Some of you probably are disappointed with this chapter. I can see it lacked content and all that jazz, but I must remind you that it is just an introduction of the new characters. Partially, that is the reason of the delay; I had to make a list of characters and resume the info I received. However, the next one won't even take half the time this one took.**

**What will come in chapter three: ****Master Hand is angry; the smashers are scared. Finally, he group of new smashers arrives (yep, in that classy bus of theirs). Among all the strange situations you just know they'll go through, an exhibition battle is made, mostly for pleasure of the media and fans. Tell me if you're willing to have your OC participating in it (K.T.E., I'll be waiting to know of you; your move set was so complete, that I want to use it for the first fighting scene of the fic). Team battle. Can't say anything else.**

**That's all for now, folks! I'll see you soon (really)! Review away!**

**PD: If possible, send me your OC's taunt... You just know I'll make them taunt some times XD**


	3. Master Hand's test

**Holy whatever-you-can-think-of... you guys are so nice! I never thought you would like this story that much! This chapter's special thanks go to crystalicios, RoyalFanatic, and KILL THE EMPIRE, for their PMs and forum posts telling me to update... some people crumble under pressure, but you guys just make me go 'Awwww...'!**

**Also, my most sincere apologizes for this chapter's lack of content and dialogue. I had to cover quite a lot of things, and I never want to rush the story itself, so there wasn't much character 'development' (yeah, sure).**

**_SPECIAL ANNOUNCE THINGY:_****_ I see some people arrived late to the character registration, but I will not leave them out. I think it'll take me some chapters to get to that point, but there will be another opportunity for OCs. Now, this is something I probably wouldn't have done, but I instantly changed idea when my most beloved reader appeared: Bigfoot12310. Dude, I've always wanted to say thanks for all your support, but your e-mail doesn't work! OCs aren't supposed to come anymore, and it will be complicated to add them, but heck, if it's him asking, then I'm not going to fail without trying! SO YEAH, SEND YOUR CHARACTERS, PEOPLE, YOU'RE NOT LATE. AND SAY THANKS TO HIM._**

**On to the chapter! ...enjoy it even if it's some kind of filler!**

**_Like a Twisted Fairytale._**

_Chapter three: Master Hand's test_

"...I want to drive." Din declared.

"No, I'm driving!"

"Shut it Akiha, I'm driving and that's definitive."

"What is it Presea? Don't trust me with a vehicle?"

"Well- hell no, don't give me that face!"

"Please...?"

"You're not making me sad, you know."

"...or is she?"

"Isaac, better let them discuss."

"But Matt, it's fun! Try poking them!"

"No thank you, I'd like to keep my body parts were they are."

"Presea, look at me..."

"No I'm not gonna look at- damn! Din, stay away from the driver seat!"

"I said I was going to drive, and I will!"

"Din-san... please...?"

"Akiha, stop the puppy eyes."

"Yes, they're getting on my nerves."

"But I want to drive..."

"I'll drive, so please stop it and take seat."

"But Presea, I said it first! I should drive!"

"No."

"I wanna drive..."

"Akiha, no. Neither you, Din."

"But-!"

"Can I drive?"

The argument stopped, and the three discussing girls were frozen in place. The driver seat was unoccupied, Din was close to it, trying to reach it, but Presea held her by the waist. She, at the same time, was holding Akiha off with her foot, flapping her wings quickly to create a little of wind. The cat girl had given up on making sad faces, but she was having no luck in reaching their simple goal of driving the bus. However, the three of them were paralyzed, staring at Chris, who had just asked to drive; how could she get between them and that heavenly driver's seat? Besides, she was under age. Already sitting, everyone else had no complains. After all, it was amusing, and it was a free spectacle. Yara went around, handing them popcorn and candy; no, they didn't know where she got it from either. Either way, all gazes were fixed on them, while some murmured. "Who has the popcorn?" "Hey, let's bet on this." were common. Rupees, golden coins with mushrooms craved, and all kinds of currency moved from hand to hand as all bets were done. Although this took some minutes, Akiha, Din and Presea were still staring at Chris in disbelief. She still had the same facial expression she held when asking. She opened her mouth to repeat her question, but the words died down as the girls glared at her fiercely. She grew nervous, as the 'audience' fell silent, just as the glaring girls- theory applies again, and the bus itself shakes at the yell.

"NO!"

"Aww..." She pouted, crossed her arms, and went back to her seat, as the other soon-to-be smashers waited for the fight to restart.

As Chris sat down, the girls in front stopped staring at her. Instead, they turned their gazes to each other rather calmly. One second of the same stillness, and chaos claimed its rightful place among them. Akiha clawed at Presea, who wrestled with Din; the driver's seat was still unoccupied.

"C'mon, let me drive!" The human-kitten yelled again.

The hylian was the first one to yell back. "Now way!"

"Cut it, both of you! I'll drive!" Insisted the hawk-winged one.

They got caught up again, between yelling and fighting, not caring that the seat was actually empty for the first one who noticed to sit. However, there was this little value they lacked: patience. And a patient person had just awaited the right time, and slipped into the seat. "Sorry ladies, I wanna get there today!"

"SHADOW!"

"What? I always wanted to learn how to drive. Looks like fun." He flashed a smile, as if driving was the easier thing to learn in five seconds. And for the way he eyed the road and kept a calm face, it seemed hat he believed it.

"YOU-" The incoming load of insults and arguing was interrupted, as the angered young women were thrown back; somehow, Shadow had managed to start the machine without making it blow up.

And he sped away to the bus' maximum velocity. "Woah, this _is _fun!"

-:-

Falco was bored.

Everyone did what they had been doing: absolutely nothing. Worst of all, Young Link was being an obnoxious little brat, running around, poking people, taking Marth's tiara off, escaping from angry smashers; doing whatever he could with his time. The TV was on, and nobody paid much attention, except Popo; he was idiotized with it. They chatted among each other, and yet he couldn't find amusement in their talks. Falco was bored.

...Falco was bored beyond belief.

"So," He began, as some heads turned to him. "Anyone know some of the people coming?" Hardly a possibility, but he'd kill for something to talk about.

"I have a cousin coming," Yoshi paused for a moment. "But I think I've already mentioned that..."

"Yes, you have. Many times." Ness commented.

Falco sighed, and looked around distractedly. He scanned the room, absent-minded, and again couldn't find a cure for his boredom. His mind wandered a few hours ahead. New people, new faces around, new stories to tell on those sleepless night when they gathered to talk until dawn broke. Heck, even new pranks to be made by Young Link. It would, indeed, be interesting. And as an adding, they would get their jobs saved. Collecting those thoughts before they would make him lay back and just wait, he looked back at the crowd. His crowd. His growing family, so to speak. "Anyone else?" He asked. Eye contact was avoided. Zelda moved uncomfortably in her seat. Falco eyed her rather suspiciously, and she finally spoke.

"Actually, I believe a relative of mine is coming." She ignored various stares; side-looks, mostly, and others direct and confused. She smiled. "Knowing him, he was probably late... but he's determined enough, or may I say stubborn enough, to sneak in any way possible."

Falco nodded, and kept his looking-around, still bored. "Something wrong, Bowser? Stabbed the couch again?"

The koopa didn't share the cornerian's chuckle; it had happened a few times. Therefore, he was now careful of not pressing his shell's spikes too strongly against the couch. "No." Last time, he had to pay an insane amount of cash for the simple act of getting a new one.

"Well, you look sort of... ill."

The king glared at him. Falco decided to drop the subject; if he didn't want his concern, then he wouldn't bother. Not like he cared, anyway.

They all already had enough with Master Hand's anger. Falco couldn't help but shudder a little at the memory of his constant shouting. Though, the hand was right: the arrival wasn't supposed to take so long. But he had nothing to do but sit there and keep waiting.

Falco was bored.

Bored beyond belief.

-:-

"Eeek!" Chris held on Arianna's waist tightly; Shadow hadn't slowed down a bit. Sure, they would save an hour, but... a driver without license, speed passing the limit... it was clearly illegal. Everyone was holding onto their seats, or onto each other.

On the other side, Shadow hummed, entertained. "Hey, he's waking up." He said, pointing to the back, where the previously-unconscious original driver lied. At that point, he was stirring, and complaining quietly.

"Ugh... where...?" Wondering aloud, to himself, as if believing he was alone, the voice was low and feeble.

"We're back on our way." Hy answered him before he would start yelling about the Mansion again.

Though, he still did. "I-I have to get to the Smash Mansion! Are we going there? Are we near?"

"Calm down, we'll be there soon." Layla said, but that was far from enough. He stood up quickly and tried to move, but was instantly thrown back, as an effect of Shadow's chaotic driving style. The girl took hold of his shoulder. "Damn, calm down..."

"I must get there!"

"I know! We will arrive, in one piece, and soon, so sit!"

Hy watched, mildly amused, and let out a chuckle. Layla turned to him with a scolding expression, but a smile soon crept on her lips. She breathed deeply and faced the hylian man again. "Why is it so important for you to get there so quickly?"

"There is someone I have to find. I believe this person might be in the mansion..."´

-:-

Young Link was also bored, but he did one heck of a good job hiding it. So far, he had been pushed three times, and had gotten five pillows thrown at him.

No, he wasn't too keen for pranks. It was Popo and Nana's business, sometimes also Ness', and they would probably be after him soon, although he had only done so for a lack of things to waste his time on. Time; the young hylian often found himself wanting more time, or wanting to reverse it to prevent certain events, but now he only wished that it would go by quickly. Wouldn't the Hero of Time be able to manipulate it a bit? He would, if he had his ocarina. A short melody would take him six hours ahead; he would look around, and then go back.

Stupid Master Hand and his rules.

The little Link looked around, making up another trick to do, and pondering who would be his next 'victim'. Mewtwo, for once, seemed pretty much distracted. And so, he tip-toed behind the couch, and took out one of his fire arrows. He aimed to where the pokémon was sitting, though some could say he seemed to hover a few centimeteres above the seat. Ready to release, and already picturing the seat on fire, Young Link was stopped by a voice.

"_I can see you._"

He dropped his bow, and the arrow instantly lost its magically-produced flame. The voice, communicating via telepathy, was clearly Mewtwo's. Sure enough, he had failed: the pokémon didn't even bother speaking normally, through voice.

"Oh, well..." He came out of his inaccurate hiding spot, ready for a scold. "I'm sorry, Mewtwo."

"_Link, this is not a time for games. You know that, don't you?_"

The little one nodded. "Yes, but-"

"Finally!"

"...Eh?" Young Link, as well as every other smasher, gave Captain Falcon an inquisitive look.

He, on the other side, just sighed and pointed to the window beside him, in which he had been gazing for quite some time. It didn't take them long to get the hint, and so most of them rushed to there. Outside could be seen a bus they barely recognized, only by the circular symbol with two lines crossing it. However, it had a large hole, and the windows broken, besides looking as if the vehicle would collapse any second. Such was unlikely, as it was speeding to the mansion easily. Soon it was near enough, and parked. Wrongly, for that matter. "I... can't... see..." Popo said, trying to make his way to the window and being blocked by the rest. As he started to climb on a chair, a large number of people began coming out of the machine.

Samus, Falcon, Peach and Roy stared with interest, counting the people.

First came three men. Two of them were dark-haired, known as Matt and Hy; one with a mechanical arm, and the other completely weapon-less. The third man, brown-haired and brown-eyed hylian dressed mostly in dark red, was being supported by them. The fourth and fifth persons to come out were a slightly dizzy young girl with cat ears and dark brown hair, and a quite humoured black-haired girl with purple eyes, dressed in those two colours. The group grew to seven as a female cornerian of the red fox species and a young girl with strawberry blond hair and a staff in her hands came out. Seven out, and it seemed that they weren't even half of the total. This, however, was all thesmashers could see.

"I... can't... see!" Popo repeated, jumping up in the chair and knocking it off balance.

Domino effect was unleashed.

Popo fell with the chair, directly into Zelda, who fell taking Peach as well, who made Luigi fall, who took Fox down, who tried to hold into Link's tunic. Soon, everyone was on the floor.

On the floor, but still staring at the young ice climber angrily.

"Eh..."

Pikachu released himself from under Yoshi, and made his way to Popo, electricity sparkling in his cheeks.

"...Nana did it!"

-:-

Jimbo jumped out and stretched, yawning loudly. "Okay, what's our first stop?"

"Meeting room, I think." Layla answered him, looking away thoughtfully.

"It's a shame I won't get my autographs today, then." Din said, distractedly tossing her small autograph book and catching it, while in the process revealing the blank pages.

"Enough chatting, guys..." Lilly interrupted, to continue with more solemnity than what she could hide behind simple words. "This is the grand moment. Our freaking grand moment."

"I like the idea," Felix grinned. "So here we go... to fame!"

"Come on Felix, you know I'll have more fans than you." Hy said cockily.

Lilly elbowed him lightly. "Dreaming is free, so take your chance now before I humiliate you on the first rounds."

He was about to reply, when a voice thundered from unseen speakers. They all stopped talking, stopped moving, and listened.

"Welcome! You are now in front of your possible new home: the Smash Mansion, the place in which you shall spend this year, if you pass the initial test, that is," At that point some frowned, and eyed each other; about that part, they had not heard anything. "You will have the opportunity to explore later. For now, proceed into the mansion, and enter the meeting room. First doors to the left."

"Test, huh?" Isaac put his bag over his shoulder, still holding a small cage on his hand. "What do you think that means?"

"...Don't have the slightest idea..." Mac said quietly, already walking past him.

Questions had to be left unspoken, as the group moved to the front double doors. Presea grabbed the doorknob and twisted it slowly, revealing the great hall inside. Lit up beautifully, wide and empty. On the other side was a staircase and to doors on each side, which were each at least three metres away from the stairs, and looked exactly the same. The one in the right read 'Arenas', and the other one was blank. "First doors to the left," Presea muttered, repeating the voice on the speakers. The stairs in the centre, they would have to see later, as the left door led them directly to two other ones. On the right was Master Hand's and Crazy Hand's office, which they would never see if they were lucky. They took left again, and entered the meeting room. It was even larger than the hall, with several rows of comfortable-looking seats, but no one seemed too calm as they sat there, in complete silence. Wasn't somebody supposed to emerge from the curtain in front? For a while, nobody.

Finally, when they had begun thinking about getting out, their host appeared. "Silence," The voice was definitely the one they had heard before. It did not yell, as the voice was powerful enough to shut them in an instant.

Most of them exchanged looks of disbelief, while the others simply stared. Arianna elbowed Yara, communicating various questions with a confused look of her green eyes.

The thing was... the voice had come from a floating hand.

Obviously, they thought the name 'Master Hand' wasn't to be taken literally.

With a clipboard and a pen held, he called them one by one, writing down the names and basic information. "Well, before I can assign you to your rooms, you will have to pass a little test," He said once finished, awakening everyone's interest. "If you fail, you will be sent back home instantly."

Expectant looks, nervous movement, determined faces; all around, there was a little hint of fear.

"Due to your late arrival, time's not enough to run this test as I planned. Originally, you were to prove your fighting skills today, but since it's not possible to test you all, some changes have to be made. Instead of various melees, there will be only one. Two of you will participate. Who? I believe you already know each other, so you are free to choose." After a pause and what seemed like a short bow, the hand floated behind the curtain again. "You have five minutes to decide."

"Two of us! This is crazy." said Yara. "And that... hand guy was scary."

"Okay, I take it none of us thought Master Hand was his real name." Shira commented, and everyone nodded or grunted agreements.

And in a display of her ability to speak without noticing what she said, Chris voiced what all of them were thinking: "Depend on two of us? That can't be good."

"And how are we going to choose?" Mallie continued, showing the same boldness, "I don't want to go... I don't want to ruin it for you all."

"In that case," Shadow grinned, "Let's make it random. Agree?"

"Random sounds good, but let's put a rule here," Mac eyed them all, smiling. "Whoever goes and whatever happens, it'll be the fault of all of us. No blaming the two people."

Shadow nodded. "Okay then. Anyone got a hat or anything we can use?"

"I think this will do," Arianna took a small brown purse from inside her backpack, pocketing the bottle that was inside it, while Din ripped off a page of her autograph book, then continued to rip it into several small pieces, which she handed to everyone. Soon, all names were written down, and thrown into Arianna's purse.

"And yours?" Hy asked her.

She gave short laugh, "I'm not a fighter. In fact... I came here thinking I'd get an easy boring job as medic. Didn't turn out so boring, though."

Half the group sighed, half chuckled along. And Felix snatched her purse, "I want to do this."

He closed it and waved it randomly a couple of times, then opened it again and held it in front of Hy, motioning him to take out the first name. He did so, maybe a little too confidently for the others' taste, and withdrew his hand. He unfolded the piece of paper, and announced: "It's..."

"Wait!"

"What?"

"Um... wait until... we take out the other name?"

"Fine Layla, have it your way."

"Thanks. Who's taking the next one?"

Silence.

Presea shrugged, "Guess I'll do it."

She dug between the papers, not content with any that came to her touch, until reaching the last one in the bottom. Choice made, she withdrew her hand. "Okay, here we go." Hy gave her the first piece of paper, and now with both in her hands, Presea announced the fighters.

-:-

Mr.Game&Watch returned to the main living room, his voice accompanied by beeping noises. "Saw them."

"And...?" Peach questioned.

"Let's see... I heard a bit... one is medic, does that count?"

"No, only fighters." Roy answered quickly, urging him to go on.

"Then they are..." Due to the fact that Game&Watch has 2-D, and black, he had been perfect for the little task. His memory, however, wasn't all that good, just like his ability with numbers. Cautiously, he had watched the new ones, hidden in shadows; impossible to spot. "Um... seventeen."

"Heh, guess that makes me the winner," Samus gave an unseen smirk under her helmet, and proceeded to snatch Peach's crown. "I'll keep this."

"Aww... you know, I just don't look right without it..."

"Sorry. A bet is a bet."

With a sigh, the princess flopped down on the couch again.

"Now," Samus turned to Captain Falcon and Roy, smirking widely. "Hmm... who goes first? Or should I save it for later?"

She looked at the racer. "I'll save that punch. Something tells me I'll have more fun with it some other day." Not relieved at all, he let out a sigh. The female bounty hunter then looked at the swordsman. "But kicking you is something I want to do right now." She breathed deep, gathering her strength, and directed her kick to between the teen's legs.

-:-

It was a teenager screaming bloody murder; Shira was almost sure, but nobody seemed to notice, or care. She repeated her earlier question, "Who's Daniel?"

Matt looked around, "There's only one of us who hasn't said his name yet..."

"Um... driver dude?" Felix pointed to the hylian man. His eyes were fixed on the floor, and he seemed to be back to good health.

"Wait a minute... he's a fighter too?" Layla asked. He nodded slowly, but confidently.

Isaac raised an eyebrow slightly. "How come you were driving then?"

"I'm afraid I was a bit late. Remember the malfunctioning of the bus on the way here, before the crash?" Some of them were already giving him accusing looks, "Well, I... hehe... I guess I had to knock out the original driver... and take over... he didn't want to let me in! Even after all the trouble I had sneaking in..."

"Daniel, wait. Something still doesn't fit..." Arianna rubbed her chin, eyes closed, "What happened to our first driver?"

"Uh, yes, about that... I kind of... threw him out." Daniel laughed a little.

Arianna stared a bit, before laughing along. "Good one!"

"...Good one?" Layla was puzzled, but couldn't help to giggle.

"Oh, come on..."Felix waved his hand distractedly, with a short shrug. "That's lame... you have so much to learn about this business!"

Mac gave him a light punch on the shoulder, "Well, what would have you done?"

"At the very least, I guess a hot pink jacket would do nicely."

"Of course, he would need a matching wig." Jimbo added.

"Newbie," Isaac waved his index finger disapprovingly. "Everyone knows temporal hair dye would be better; gives him a scare, but doesn't cross the line."

Mac repeated Isaac's movement, mocking, "Don't forget nail polish, and high heels. That makes it easy for someone to spot him on the road and ride him back to the city."

Mallie nodded. "If you have to fix things later, the prank isn't all that funny. The idea is that you laugh and point, not clean after it." She gave a pranking-know-it-all smile.

Akiha leaned over to Mallie, "Gee... I wouldn't like being pranked by these guys." She commented quietly.

"Stop it people, we don't have any time left and the other fighter..." Matt trailed off.

Nervousness dawned. Biting lips, fidgeting, and other usual displays returned. "Oh, right, it still hasn't been announced. Presea, who is it?" Akiha's voice trembled a bit.

The eerie curtain that had fallen upon them was chocking now, but no answer came. "Presea?" Akiha repeated.

Presea looked at the paper again, then at her companions. Time surely was over, forcing her to give the news quicker than she wanted. "Jimbo."

"What the freakin-!"

"SILENCE!"

Confused, the smashers (for they were already thinking of themselves as such) were forced into the realization of Master Hand's presence. And also, just as an assumption, to realizing his previous tries to get their attention when they joked around. However, voices were quick to die, allowing the hand to proceed without further yelling. "We're ready to begin." It, or perhaps he, said. "Follow me."

The hand hovered a little less than a metre above the ground, as it lead them back into the main hall, and into the door in the right. A gigantic machine with several screens and buttons occupied half of it, while the rest was occupied by a platform.

"The ones who will take the test, get your weapons ready and step into the platform." Daniel and Jimbo nodded and did as told, not before receiving the encouraging phrases from their companions and having a hard minute of digging through their luggage. Once up, they saw four shining circles in the floor, and stepped each on a separate one. Four circles; four fighters allowed in a melee. Two occupied; two warriors entering. And a last circle, shining red instead of white, behind the others.

-:-

There were times when he would get on his nerves, and there were times when they didn't talk to each other for the sake of calmness. There were times when they would fight to death, and there were times when the old grudges would rise in a melee. There were times when they exchanged words without hate; that wouldn't be called friendship, but only politeness. And on this occasion, Link preferred to be polite. "You ready, Ganondorf?" He only got a nod, but it was better than having to talk. Even under Master Hand's rules, there were times when they followed the desire of blood and the objective of each other's pain, as much as the hylian hated to admit it, and there were times when they were just tested by each other.

This was a time for them to be the testers.

Water splashed under his boots, strangely firm, as if below a small quantity of liquid was a mirror that played as floor. A bright environment, against the black depths of space, interrupted by dots of light, weakly shining stars. Below only mist could be seen. The atmosphere was calm, peaceful, a place where you could just lay down and relax; Link liked the way it would put his thoughts in order, as simply as if he were a child with math problems.

Fountain of Dreams.

Ironic, how it could be a place to crush young fighters' dreams of glory.

Ganondorf had not been a nice choice; they couldn't do teamwork for more than five minutes without at least trying to inflict damage upon each other, or getting the KO points. But Link just had to find a way to make it work, if he could only get his enemy's cooperation...

"It's time."

The gerudo man's words made the hylian jump slightly, getting quickly into fighting stance. Indeed, two bright circles were drawing themselves in the floor, slowly gaining more light. They reached the blinding point, and dissapeared, leaving in the place two young men.

Jimbo frowned, and spoke worriedly to his team mate, "This is going to be though... Ganon won the tournament last year." He carried a rapier as weapon; long and straight sword with a narrow blade and two edges, and had his shirt's colour changed to red, and his shorts to a dark shade of maroon.

"Still, we got advantage. They have never seen us fight, and their background points to them not being a perfect team." Daniel also carried a two-edged sword, and now had completed his outfit with a maroon cape.

Link smiled, Ganondorf gave a simple acknowledging nod; green team stood waiting for the starting signal. Jimbo and Daniel eyed each other, and their opponents; red team awaited less eagerly for the signal.

"READY?"

One single second to prepare.

"GO!"

-:-

**Yes, I ended this chapter abruptly. Yay.**

**Oh yeah, thanks to KILL THE EMPIRE and crystalicios for the little list-of-cool-people-including-me they have in their profiles. And for those 'BLP if you're reading this, update!' thingies that they added. (Okay KTE, I've updated; taken the second step... I wonder, to what? O.o)**

**I think I've said everything I had to say... so here ends my rambling. DROP ME A REVIEW, PLEASE! And feel free to PM or e-mail me with any questions. 'Hurry up' and 'When are you going to update' messages are welcome and loved.**


	4. Brawlers

**For the following months, most likely until December, I will be unable to get on the computer. My sister will be staying here, and she doesn't let me use it, so I'll only be able to write late at night, around two in the morning, when she's asleep. Therefore, veeeeery slow updates from now on. I am sorry, but there's nothing I can do.**

**As for this chapter's thanks... definitely to Nayru Goddes of Wisdom, because she's been pretty enthusiastic about this thing! **

**I can assure you that late-arival OCs will be added in the next chapter, with a small mention on this one. Please confirm if you have already sent me a character, otherwise I will not add it.**

**_Like a Twisted Fairytale._**

_Chapter four: Brawlers._

A wave of adreline swept through the fighters' bodies, breaking the calmness quickly. Moved by instinct, the first thing the four did was move to the center of the battlefield and take offensive stances. They came to an halt, in the process of examining the unknown enemies.

"Choose." Daniel whispered, trying to make his words impossible to hear and the movement of his lips invisible for the opposite team.

Jimbo smirked. "Link. I'll kick that pretty boy's ass." Daniel gave a surprised look, with both eyebrows raised, which Jimbo answered with a 'just joking' smile.

And the battle raged on.

With great speed, the red-clad man with the cape swung his sword forward in a simple slash directed at the gerudo king. However, the Red Blade met a hard surface, that surrounded his opponents body as a bubble and shrank as a second passed. He withdrew the blade and received a hit of Ganondorf's elbow, sending him back a few steps.

The opponent was smirking.

_Smirking._

Denying the possibility of appearing as weak, or the smallest chance of losing the battle, Daniel ran fearlessly and jumped on the platform situated at the left of the stage. Ganondorf jumped at the opposite one, at the right side. Daniel jumped to the higher platform; Ganondorf prepared his warlock punch. As he descended to the right platform, the sorcerer's attack was released.

And was countered succesfully.

Sent back by his own power, the gerudo king held on stubbornly to the small arena's edge, while Daniel got down from the platform and dashed towards his position. He pulled himself up quickly, with a small jump, and landed in the blink of an eye while his foot seemed engulfed in dark purple smoke -Wizard's Foot, one of his best aerial techniques-, right where the hylian had been a second ago: he had rolled backwards and out of danger. It didn't even take the dark-skinned man one second to stand up again, but there still was a moment of exposure; weakness. Taking advantage of that situation Daniel grabbed him by the neck of his outfit, threw him up (not without great effort; such weight), jumped as well, and finished with a downwards sword swipe.

-:-

The screens showed each one the same fight, but from a different angle, and focusing a different fighter. Staring back and forth to the different images, the newest smashers occasionally contained their breath, but never stayed without speaking.

"Now, that's what I call a recovery," Yara commented.

"That, my friend, is called kicking ass," Matt retorted, gazing over the cornerian's shoulder.

"I'd rather call it saving our jobs," Layla chimed in.

The three nodded in agreement, knowing expressions upon their faces. "Bless them for that," Shira added, turning to the screens on the right side, "Now how's the other guy doing?"

"Not that good," Arianna pointed worriedly, concentrating on the flashing images, "How do you call that?" She asked, as the screen showed a tired Link shoving an even more tired Jimbo face-first in the floor

Felix shook his head, "That's called kissing the ground hello."

-:-

_Bad choice Jimbo, very bad choice. _The teenager mentally scolded himself, trying to stand up quickly. He regained his balance and looked at Link, who was giving him a triumphant grin betweens heavy breathing. "Is that..." pant, "...all?" The hylian panted again.

"Shut up, will you?" Jimbo increased the distance, standing on the edge while his opponent stood on the higher platform on the center. He held his sword as tight as possible with the little strength he had left, and looked up into the darkness that surrounded the fountain.

Curious, Link raised an eyebrow but stood where he was, deciding that conserving stamina would be best, but what was that guy doing, seeming so deep in thought?

Said guy only blinked, still gazing at the nonexistent ceiling.

The blonde hylian was becoming irritated, "Pay attention to the fight," he advised, taking out his bow.

"Again, shut up! I'm trying to think here you elf!" Jimbo spat, but still didn't move, gaining a glare. A clearly visible vein was now on the so-called elf's temple as he released the arrow and withdrew his bow.

"Got it!" Jimbo grinned and looked back at the arena, breaking in a run to the other side and barely avoiding Link's arrow.

He went over to Daniel, who stood near a slowly-recovering Ganondorf. "I have a plan. Go over to Link. Stay behind him, don't do anything else. Don't interrupt him if he charges an arrow, okay?" He whispered quickly, as Link charged towards them. Daniel nodded, and side-stepped to dodge the other hylian's sword swipe, while Jimbo sprinted off to where Ganondorf was.

As soon as the gerudo king was back on his feet and ready to continue, he found himself held strongly from the collar of his attire. With the enemy holding him from behind, he soon found struggling to be futile and prepared for a critical hit on his damaged state. "You're my human shield, Ganon," hissed Jimbo.

"Brat!" the dark-skinned man spat, then yelled to Link, "Hey elf-boy, get this brat off my back!"

"Stop with the elf thing!" he quickly readied an arrow, having thrown Daniel behind, and turned to his team-mate.

Jimbo smiled like a Cheshire cat, "Fire that arrow, and my shield Ganny here gets KO'ed."

At the situation, Link made a gesture to let go of the arrow and let it drop, but was interrupted by Daniel's voice, as he had already recovered. "But if you don't fire it, the moment you let go of that bow I will smash you out of here."

-:-

"That's one heck of a good chance they have there," Presea stated, finally seeming confident about their victory.

"I don't quite get it..." Isaac muttered, scratching the back of his neck, "Care to enlighten me?"

Several others also turned to hear the explanation, as Presea pointed to the main screen, which showed Jimbo holding Ganondorf as shield, Link aiming his bow directly at the gerudo's chest, and Daniel standing behind Link with his sword ready for a good smash attack. "You heard them. As I see it Link has two options: first, he can let go of the arrow. That way he'll save Ganon, since they all are past the 300 percent damage area and one single arrow would send him out. But in that case Daniel would knock him out, leaving it up to Ganon to win the fight."

"And his second option?" Isaac questioned again.

"Fire away." Mallie completed.

"But he'll sacrifice his team-mate."

"Exactly."

Isaac's eyebrow rose, and Mallie continued the explanation. "Remember that Link and Ganondorf don't get along too well. They have a long story of rivalry with Zelda in the middle, so Link won't be too pleased with sacrificing himself and leaving victory up to him, as is his first option. Therefore, it's almost certain that he will pick option two, fire the arrow knocking out Ganondorf, and try to win on his own."

"But..." Lilly rested her chin on her right clawed hand, and her right elbow on her left hand in a thoughtful pose, "That won't be too clever of him. I mean, there's a possibility that as soon as he fires the arrow and Ganondorf is out of the arena, Daniel will take the chance to smash him anyway."

"Still, I don't think he'll do that," Matt cut in, "He'd take the stupid option and try to do things on his own rather than trusting Ganon to win. I believe we have the upper hand for now." He concluded.

"But something still bothers me..." although everyone else seemed convinced, Shadow was rather sceptical. "What if Link and Ganon have a plan of their own? Something about that gerudo seems... fake. As if he's got something up his sleeve."

Yes, they did ponder on his words, but very few showed understanding faces. Akiha, on the other hand, was the most aware of the possible problem. "I know what you mean," she said, "It's the way he's acting; too submissive. If we struggled long enough he would have gotten free, but he just stays there, almost... almost as if..."

-:-

Link's face was perfectly straight, and cold as a winter morning. He wore his battle expression, and his thinking mood. He didn't seem to be intimidated in the least by red team's trap, or perhaps too shocked to react.

However, not two seconds after the voices died, he released a friendly, warm-sounding chuckle.

-:-

"As if what?" Chris asked, becoming a bit nervous as she kept half of her attention on the screen.

"Well... maybe it's just a habit of mine to question everything, but... I'm almost certain that Ganondorf..." And Akiha's voice trailed off.

-:-

Both Jimbo and Daniel glanced at the hylian and evaluated the possibility of his inner insanity having surfaced, but discarded it as a simple act of denial. When the chuckles begun to shut, Link released his arrow with ease, and it flew in a straight line towards Ganondorf's chest.

And in the blink of an eye, the gerudo king was out of view and the arrow was colliding into Jimbo's chest, knocking him out.

-:-

"That Ganondorf is faking it," Shadow completed. "Jimbo did grab him, but he was able to free himself whenever he wants. All along."

-:-

"You ducked in the very last second... well done." Link congratulated Ganon, who in return permitted his eternal scowl to soften a bit. It went unnoticed, however, as Link instantly used his Spin Attack to hit the shocked Daniel.

"GAME! THE WINNER IS... GREEN TEAM!"

-:-

"That's what I thought." Akiha stared at the screen for a bit, and then back at her companions. "So... does this mean... we... lost? We failed?"

The group was speechless.

"This is not good," Shira was, to say the least, quite angered, "What are we gonna do, turn back and return home? Now? Not possible..."

With that, and the screens going black, they awaited for Master Hand to enter the room any second and make it official. He had clearly stated that if they failed this test they would be sent home immediately, and they did loose...

"Hell yeah! Loophole!" Felix threw his fist into the air.

Hy raised an eyebrow, and broke the thoughtful silence he had kept. "Um, what?"

"There's a minor loophole, so we might still have a chance! Okay, just _might_, but still."

"Yeah, I heard," Hy rubbed his temple. "Just say it already!"

"Okay, okay... gee. First off, remember what the hand said: if we pass this test we're in, right?" The not-quite-smashers-yet nodded, almost simultaneously, urging him to go on. "But I never heard him say Dan and Jimbo strictly had to win the match. That's my loophole. Do you really think they won't let us in because we couldn't beat the two most famous and strong smashers? Think about it; who has won the most recent tournaments?"

"Ganondorf won last year," Presea informed, "And Link won the year before that."

"To put it simply," Felix continued. "The other smashers weren't able to defeat them, so why should we? Specially since our condition makes Master Hand expect little from us."

"I get it. But then..." Hy's head snapped up when realization came to him. "We should've taken this literally! As he said, these guys were just testing us!"

The yoshi nodded in approval, "Uh-huh, that's what I think. Gotta love those loopholes."

"In any case," Yara grinned, "If we appeal to Felix's logic, Master Hand will have to evaluate us for the performance in battle and not the results... then again, we're in no position to demand, but I'd face the scary guy rather than go home."

There was a soft humming coming from the machine, there was a sour air among them, and there was Chris' voice as she poked Felix's shoulder. "...do yoshis have lawyers? You sure sound like one."

"Uh, no, but... hey, here they are!"

There was still a soft humming, and there was an even sadder atmosphere. Oh, and there was a shade of self-disappointment and apologetic eyes, all in awkward silence. There was a brief exchange of looks between the red team, and then Daniel stepped forward. "I'm sorry... we-"

"Don't be." Arianna cut him short. "It's fine, there's still a chance."

"What do you mean there's still a chance?" Jimbo retorted, astonished and hopeful as all of them.

There was a general sigh. The humming had stopped. "Long story. Loophole on our terms. To make it short, we think it wasn't necessary that you win, since you were just being tested." The medic fiddled with a strand of her black hair as she talked.

As the two exhausted teens nodded, the door opened fully, hitting the wall loudly, and there floated their possible temporary host. Master Hand advanced to them with an ominous aura, intended and sure to make them shudder; the hand was in charge, and he liked it when everyone was conscious of that.

He stopped in the middle of the room, on his glory and sadistic satisfaction as he saw the nervous -_scared_- faces. They could hear him chuckling on a deep, menacing voice. "You have lost..."

Shadow swallowed hard and decided to speak for them, as they had apparently lost the ability to speak. "But have we failed?"

The chuckles didn't show any sign of subsiding, but they did change to a more pleasurable tone. "That's a good question... perhaps we have some sharp new fighters this year. What do you assume?"

Matt grew annoyed; they weren't being given any direct answers. "I assume that losing the battle and failing the test are two completely different things. Is that right?" he said. If they didn't get in, better to get this over with quickly.

"Yes, you are, but whether or not the development in the match was good enough is still uncertain."

"Ugh..." Layla could feel her eyebrow twitching, "We'll have to wait or you going to tell us?"

"That is up to me." He answered, slow and calm, with the smallest hint of anger.

Layla was about to begin saying a colourful set of words she had for the hand, but decided against it as she saw Ganon and Link appear in the platform after another display of that blinding light. Hopefully, the testers would give the verdict- although it seemed they were waiting for a death sentence. The two approached Master Hand, and stood still by his side.

"Answer?" Master Hand asked.

For a while, silence. They nodded.

There was no humming, no speaking, no more than a variety of gazes upon the hylian and the gerudo. And Link gave the crowd an unreadable look, "We say… hell yeah..." he breathed out.

"Good," Master Hand directed his words to the newest smashers, "Princess Peach is waiting for you at the stairs. She will lead you to the living room, so you can wait for your bedrooms to be prepared and for your roommates to be announced. After seeing them, proceed to the dining room. Welcome to the Smash Mansion."

Silence.

Blinking.

Not believing.

But true.

Deep breaths.

...And the Hero of Time was soon cursing his sensitive ears.

-:-

The yells, the laughter, and -oh, dear goddesses- the _ownage_ resounding on Link's ears died soon, but left a strange buzzing inside his head. He still had to wonder if those people understood half of what they said, since he himself hadn't been able to decipher all of it, but he was sure of one thing: 'ownage' was a cool-sounding word, period. He would have to add it on his small vocabulary, once he discovered the meaning.

"They're... loud. And annoying. This year is going to be a brawl." Ganondorf muttered.

Master Hand's thumb twitched lightly, "If the media doesn't care, neither do I."

"Master Hand, isn't it about time for a season name change?" Link asked, "The last two years, when we got some new fighters, you named the new season 'Melee'. I think it would be good to have a little change now."

"Hmm...it's reasonable. Any suggestions?"

"Brawl." the gerudo king repeated absent-mindedly.

Link smiled, "I like it. What do you say, Master Hand?"

"Sounds good. So Brawl it is."

-:-

The volume of their cheering voices had lowered greatly when they reached the staircase, but it was still enough to give Peach a migraine. She greeted with a polite smile, "So you're the new ones. Please follow me."

At the exact moment when she was turning around to start walking up the steps, Yara's voice stopped her, "You know, you look... different. Somehow."

The princess sighed, and pointed to her head, "It's the crown. Makes a big difference for something so little!" She laughed whole-heartedly, and resumed her path, leading them up the stairs.

Their environment changed dramatically as they ascended to the second floor. The lower plant was almost completely empty, and quite simpler than some might have expected, but those common concrete walls seemed to become marble as they kept going up. The stairs led to a dim hallway, and the hallway to a grand living room, magnificently decorated with comfortable-looking couches and chairs, along finely-crafted furniture, a small table on the center, and a fireplace. A giant TV screen, some scattered dice and cards, and one great piece of furniture, closed but with wires sticking out; probably full of game consoles, DVD players and such. Across that room, which gave a sense of hospitality, was another door and two corridors.

"I... feel like I'll get lost in here one of these days..." Isaac commented, scratching the back of his head.

"Ditto," several agreed.

"Don't worry, it happened to me once, too. But it isn't so big," Peach proceeded across the room, and pointed to the corridor on the right, "This way to the girls' rooms, and here on the left to the boys' rooms. This door," she motioned to the one in the center, "Takes you to the dinning room. Wait here, I'll be back in a moment to assign the rooms." The princess turned around and went down the stairs gain, leaving the others free to enjoy the place.

Presea went directly to the giant TV, and the piece of furniture under it, "Let's see here..." she turned the key that was already inside the lock, and threw the miniature doors open. Inside was, tangled up in wires, a DVD, VHS player and some hand-held simple consoles: Tetris and Pac-man, she presumed. She dug further and found several different board games, such as Monopoly and Chinese checkers, and even Twister. She threw each one out for the others to see.

"Wow, look at this!" Presea exclaimed, holding high an opened cardboard box. Inside was a plastic mat, folded, with four arrows pointing up, down, right and left respectively.

"DDR?" Chris took a step forward and snatched the mat from the girl's hands, then unfolded it.

Hy took it, repeating Chris' previous action. "Yup. Dance Dance Revolution, home edition. Looks like these guys are a little extravagant, just look at all the stuff they have here!"

"Yes, I sort of noticed. With the hand guy and all." Arianna said.

"Exactly." Shadow's brows furrowed as he pointed to the door on the back to empathize his next phrase. "Besides, who the hell puts a dinning room on the second floor?"

"Uh-huh..." Hy handed the plastic set back to Presea, "We'll have to try it later."

"Why later?" Daniel asked as the mat was once again put into the box and discarded.

Hy simply pointed to the Mushroom Princess behind them, who had been standing in the place for a minute now. "I see you're making yourselves at home," she smiled broadly, "It's okay! Now... I'm sorry, the rooms assignments had to be delayed for a little while. I don't know why, but Master Hand should be done after dinner. Which, by the way, will be served in about half an hour... no need to worry about being punctual."

The door slammed shut rather loudly.

"For some reason, she seemed a bit hurried... or kind of nervous." Akiha flopped down on the couch, closing her eyes and putting a hand on her forehead tiredly. "Okay... I have the feeling something bad is going to happen."

Jimbo sat next to her, and rolled his eyes. "Oh, really?"

"Yeah, really!" Akiha shot back, with the same hint of sarcasm.

"Heeeeeeeey..." Layla poked both's shoulders, talking in a mock-whiny voice. "I wanna try the DDR..."

Din grabbed Layla by the collar of her blue oriental-styled outfit, pulling her down on the couch to a half-sitting, half contortionist-like position. "Don't you ever get tired?" She sighed, "Do you have some turn off switch or something?"

"Well... I had a lot of sugar before- hey, Shira's got a muffin! Gimme a bit!"

The human-koopa pouted, holding the muffin protectively. "But it's all the teeth-destroying thing I could save from the wreck!"

"Come on, just a bit..." Layla did the biggest, more watery eyes she could, making her lower lip quiver as much as humanly possible.

"Nope."

"You... you _really_ like sugar, eh." Lilly managed, her eyes slightly widened as she saw the other girl's eyes watering more and more.

Daniel patted her on the head, "Brilliant observation, milady."

-:-

The office was too silent, considering the number of people inside, yet it became too loud the moment Master Hand spoke; his voice would always have that ominous, resounding effect on the room. "How much?"

Roy shuddered, fearing for his eardrums. "One hour, I hope."

"...'I hope'?"

"Um, yes, Pichu heard them on the phone but, you know, he couldn't quite communicate, and that's what he deduced."

"Wasn't someone else available to answer? Someone who could speak!"

"...no, sir."

"Hmm... details."

"Yes, sir." The red-haired swordsman looked around the extravagant group, making a small hand motion to Mewtwo. The pokémon nodded, and took one floating step towards the massive hand.

One could say the gloved one was staring him down to submission, but they couldn't be really sure. Every smasher, however, knew Master Hand didn't like in the least Mewtwo's air of superiority, and in return, the cat-like creature did not like his boss' attitude and menacing habits, not to mention his respect-through-fear policy. Though, and that was for sure, even the psychic pokémon knew when he should keep his mouth shut and obey. Grudgingly, of course.

"The little one heard a female voice," he made a light hand motion towards the smaller electric pokémon. "It was around twenty ten minutes ago, while the testing match was being held. As you know, none of the mansion's phones were working correctly because of a little accident on the living room," he discretely gazed at Popo, "so communication was held for no more than fifteen or twenty seconds."

"Do you have any information on how they got the phone number?"

Mewtwo closed his eyes and did a low sound, clearing his throat, "With all due respect, Master Hand, the number was printed on every instruction booklet, and those were given publicly for the potential candidates."

"If the call was a sick joke from some fan with too much free time…" A loud growl, and light shake came from the hand, as everyone could feel the room shaking with his anger. "The schedule is being slowed down. I will not allow this for much long. If they don't arrive in half an hour, they will be disqualified. Now tell me, what did that person say?"

"Pichu picked up the phone on accident; his foot was tangled with the wire, but he managed to hear a female saying she had some more people with her, and they were on their way. She mentioned her name, and indicated she would be made responsible… Nayru, I believe it was."

"Fine… that's enough. Go away, all of you."

The smashers hurried out like mice, vainly trying to keep silence in their escaping frenzy.

Once alone, Master Hand smashed the desk, sending paperwork flying everywhere. "Damn late arrivals!"

-:-

**If you have a character for me to add on the next chapter, please send it now. If you already sent it, please confirm. Otherwise it will not be added. **

**Next chapter: "Hey kid, careful. You'll stab the couch."... "If you were a fangirl... I would already know, right?"**

**Thank you all for sticking with this story! It's much appreciatted! Remember, new OCs next chapter.**


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